CONDENSER STATE PREDICTING DEVICE

Abstract

There is provided a condenser state predicting device capable of recognizing operating condition-based state prediction information regarding the performance of a condenser and the thickness reduction of its tubes. A condenser state predicting device of an embodiment includes a display information generator configured to generate at least one of: first screen display information to display performance information indicating performance of a condenser, the performance of the condenser being predicted based on measurement information that is measured or input information that is input; and second screen display information to display residual thickness information indicating a residual ratio of the thickness of tubes of the condenser, the residual ratio being predicted based on the input information.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-070708, filed on Apr. 24, 2023; the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a condenser state predicting device.

BACKGROUND

Condensers provided in steam turbine facilities include a surface condenser. This surface condenser is provided with a plurality of tubes where to pass cooling water. Steam discharged from a turbine is cooled by coming into contact with these tubes. Note that a surface condenser will be hereinafter referred to simply as a condenser.

In a condenser, a large amount of cooling water is used to cool steam. Accordingly, seawater, lake water, river water, or the like is usually used as the cooling water. Among them, seawater is used in many facilities.

A substance included in the cooling water corrodes and fouls the inner surfaces of the tubes of the condenser. The corrosion of the inner surfaces of the tubes causes a reduction in the thickness of the tubes (thickness reduction). Further, the fouling of the inner surfaces of the tubes lowers an overall heat transfer coefficient to deteriorate the performance of the condenser. The thickness reduction of the tubes and the deterioration in the performance of the condenser progress with time.

Conventionally, the progress of the thickness reduction of tubes of a condenser can be detected in a regular inspection which is executed while the operation of steam turbine facilities is stopped. Even if it is found in the regular inspection that the thickness reduction of the tubes of the condenser exceeds a limit value, it usually takes a long time to repair the condenser and procure parts, necessitating stopping the operation of the steam turbine facility for a long period. Further, it is not possible to find a performance change accompanying the change of the tubes of the condenser unless the condenser is operated. Therefore, it has conventionally been difficult to predict an influence of the repairing on the performance and state of the condenser.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating the configuration of a steam turbine facility including a condenser state predicting device of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating the configuration of a condenser which is a target of the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating the configuration of the condenser which is the target of the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating the configuration of the condenser which is the target of the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating cross sections of tube blocks of the condenser which is the target of the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an example of screen display information generated by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating an example of the screen display information generated by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating another example of screen display information generated by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating another example of the screen display information generated by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an arithmetic unit of the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the arithmetic unit of the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the overall operation of the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating an example of screen display information for input receipt by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a view illustrating an example of screen display information for input receipt by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating an example of screen display information for input receipt by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a view illustrating an example of screen display information for input receipt by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a view illustrating an example of screen display information for input receipt by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a chart illustrating an example of basic specification data of the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a view illustrating an example of screen display information for input receipt by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a chart illustrating an example of inspection records of the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a view illustrating an example of screen display information for input receipt by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a chart illustrating an example of the results of calculation by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a view illustrating an example of screen display information for the results of the calculation by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation by a user of the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 26A is a view illustrating an example of screen display information showing a residual thickness ratio, generated by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 26B is a view illustrating an example of screen display information showing the residual thickness ratio, generated by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 26C is a chart illustrating an example of screen display information showing a contribution rate of an overall heat transfer coefficient and so on, generated by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

FIG. 26D is a view illustrating an example of screen display information showing the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient and so on, generated by the condenser state predicting device of the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described above, it is not possible to find the progress of the thickness reduction of the condenser unless the operation is stopped at the time of an inspection.

A problem to be solved by the embodiment of the present invention is to provide a condenser state predicting device capable of recognizing information on operating condition-based prediction of the performance of a condenser and the thickness reduction of its tubes.

A condenser state predicting device of an embodiment includes a display information generating circuitry configured to generate at least one of: first screen display information to display performance information indicating performance of a condenser, the performance of the condenser being predicted based on measurement information that is measured or input information that is input; and second screen display information to display residual thickness information indicating a residual ratio of thickness of a tube of the condenser, the residual ratio being predicted based on the input information.

An embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a steam turbine facility 1 including the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the steam turbine facility 1 includes, a boiler 10, a high-pressure turbine 11, a reheater 12, an intermediate-pressure turbine 13, a low-pressure turbine 14, a generator 15, a condenser 16, a feed pump 17, and the condenser state predicting device 18. Here, the condenser 16 is equipment whose states such as the performance and thickness reduction of its cooling water tubes are to be predicted by the condenser state predicting device 18.

The boiler 10 heats feedwater to generate steam and leads out the steam to a main steam pipe 20. The high-pressure turbine 11 is rotated by the steam led therein from the main steam pipe 20 and discharges the steam to a low-temperature reheat pipe 21. The reheater 12 reheats the steam led therein from the low-temperature reheat pipe 21 and leads out the steam to a high-temperature reheat pipe 22.

The intermediate-pressure turbine 13 is rotated by the steam led therein from the high-temperature reheat pipe 22 and discharges the steam to a crossover pipe 23. The low-pressure turbine 14 is rotated by the steam led therein from the crossover pipe 23 and discharges the steam to an exhaust pipe 24. The generator 15 is driven by the high-pressure turbine 11, the intermediate-pressure turbine 13, and the low-pressure turbine 14 to generate electricity.

The condenser 16 condenses the steam led therein from the exhaust pipe 24 to convert it into condensed water. The feed pump 17 feeds the feedwater which is the water condensed by the condenser 16, to the boiler 10 through a feed pipe 25. Note that the condenser 16 is a surface condenser. Details of the configuration of the condenser 16 will be described later.

The condenser state predicting device 18 is an arithmetic device that evaluates states of the condenser, such as its performance and thickness reduction degree. The condenser state predicting device 18 can be implemented by, for example, a computer device or the like.

The steam turbine facility 1 further includes a cooling water temperature detector 30 and a cooling water temperature detector 31 so that the condenser state predicting device 18 can evaluate the states and tube thickness reduction of the condenser 16. The cooling water temperature detector 30 is a temperature sensor that detects a temperature T1 of the cooling water led into the tubes of the condenser 16 (cooling water inlet temperature). The cooling water temperature detector 30 is provided at a position where it is capable of detecting the temperature of the cooling water led into the tubes. The cooling water temperature detector 30 may be provided in plurality. The cooling water temperature detectors 30 may be provided in, for example, a lead-in box 16BinA and a lead-in box 16BinB, as will be described later. The cooling water temperature detectors 30 may be provided in, for example, the plurality of tubes where to pass the cooling water, which are provided in the later-described condenser 16.

The cooling water temperature detector 31 is a temperature sensor that detects a temperature T2 of the cooling water discharged from the condenser 16 (cooling water outlet temperature). The cooling water temperature detector 31 is provided at a position where it is capable of detecting the temperature of the cooling water discharged from the tubes provided in the condenser 16. The cooling water temperature detector 31 may be provided in plurality. The cooling water temperature detectors 31 may be provided in, for example, a discharge port 16WoutA of a discharge box 16BoutA and a discharge port 16WoutB of a discharge box 16BoutB as will be described later. Further, the cooling water temperature detectors 31 may be provided in, for example, the tubes provided in the condenser 16.

The cooling water temperature detector 30 outputs a detection signal indicating the detected cooling water inlet temperature T1 to the condenser state predicting device 18. Further, the cooling water temperature detector 31 outputs a detection signal indicating the detected cooling water outlet temperature T2 to the condenser state predicting device 18. The cooling water temperature detector 30 and the cooling water temperature detector 31 are each formed of a thermocouple or the like, for instance. The cooling water inlet temperature T1 and the cooling water outlet temperature T2 are pieces of measurement information measured by the cooling water temperature detector 30 and the cooling water temperature detector 31.

The steam turbine facility 1 further includes a condenser pressure detector 32 that detects a condenser pressure P of the condenser 16, used by the condenser state predicting device 18 for predictive calculation in evaluating the state of the condenser 16. The condenser pressure detector 32 outputs a detection signal indicating the detected condenser pressure P to the condenser state predicting device 18.

Here, FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating the configuration of the condenser 16 whose performance and thickness reduction are to be predicted by the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are side views illustrating the configuration of the condenser 16 whose performance and thickness reduction are to be predicted by the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the condenser 16 has a casing 16_cav in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the casing 16_cav has, on its one side surface, the lead-in box 16BinA and the lead-in box 16BinB into which the cooling water is led. The lead-in box 16BinA and the lead-in box 16BinB respectively have an inlet port 16WinA and an inlet port 16WinB through which the cooling water is led in. The inlet port 16WinA and the inlet port 16WinB receive the cooling water from a lower side of the casing 16cav. The casing 16cav further has, on its other side surface, the discharge box 16BoutA and the discharge box 16BoutB into which the cooling water discharged from tubes 16P flows. The discharge box 16BoutA and the discharge box 16BoutB respectively have the discharge port 16WoutA and the discharge port 16WoutB through which the cooling water is discharged. The discharge port 16WoutA and the discharge port 16WoutB discharge the cooling water in, for example, a front-surface direction or a rear-surface direction of the casing 16cav through a discharge pipe 16Wout. The casing 16cav has therein the plurality of tubes 16P installed substantially horizontally between the lead-in boxes 16BinA, 16BinB and the discharge boxes 16BoutA, 16BoutB.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the interior of the casing 16cav is divided into a front side and a rear side, and in the respective divisional regions, the plurality of tubes 16P are divided into a group 16PA on the front side and a group 16PB on the rear side (divided into tube blocks). The lead-in box 16BinA and the lead-in box 16BinB correspond to the block 16PA and the block 16PB respectively. That is, the cooling water led into the lead-in box 16BinA is sent to the tubes 16P of the group 16PA. Similarly, the cooling water led into the lead-in box 16BinB is sent to the tubes 16P of the group 16PB.

The discharge box 16BoutA and the discharge box 16BoutB correspond to the group 16PA and the group 16PB respectively. That is, the cooling water that has passed through the tubes 16P of the group 16PA passes through the discharge box 16BoutA to be discharged from the discharge port 16WoutA. Similarly, the cooling water that has passed through the tubes 16P of the group 16PB passes through the discharge box 16BouB to be discharged from the discharge port 16WoutB.

The cooling water temperature detectors 30 are provided in the lead-in box 16BinA and the lead-in box 16BinB and detect the cooling water inlet temperature T1 in the lead-in box 16BinA and the lead-in box 16BinB. Note that at least one cooling water temperature detector 30 is provided in each of the lead-in box 16BinA and the lead-in box 16BinB. Further, the cooling water temperature detector 30 may be provided in plurality in each of the lead-in box 16BinA and the lead-in box 16BinB. The cooling water temperature detectors 30 may be provided in pipes that feed the cooling water to the lead-in box 16BinA and the lead-in box 16BinB instead of being provided in the lead-in box 16BinA and the lead-in box 16BinB.

The cooling water temperature detectors 31 are provided in the discharge box 16BoutA and the discharge box 16BoutB and detect the cooling water outlet temperature T2 in the discharge box 16BoutA and the discharge box 16BoutB. Note that at least one cooling water temperature detector 31 is provided in each of the discharge box 16BoutA and the discharge box 16BoutB. The cooling water temperature detector 31 may be provided in plurality in each of the discharge box 16BoutA and the discharge box 16BoutB. The cooling water temperature detectors 31 may be provided in the discharge port 16WoutA and the discharge port 16WoutB instead of the discharge box 16BoutA and the discharge box 16BoutB. The cooling water temperature detectors 31 may be provided in a discharge pipe 16Wout through which the cooling water from the discharge port 16WoutA and the discharge port 16WoutB is discharged, instead of being provided in the discharge port 16WoutA and the discharge port 16WoutB.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating cross sections vertical to the longitudinal direction of the tubes 16P of the condenser 16 illustrated in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 whose performance and thickness reduction are to be predicted by the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment. FIG. 5 illustrates one of the groups 16PA and 16PB into which the tubes 16P are divided inside the casing 16cav. In the condenser 16, the plurality of tubes 16P where the cooling water passes in parallel are lined up while extending in, for example, the horizontal direction. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the tubes 16P of the condenser 16 are managed in the states of the divided arrangement into the plurality of blocks (tube blocks). In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, tube blocks 16A1 and 16A2 arranged on the upper side in FIG. 5, tube blocks 16A6 and 16A7 arranged on the lower side thereof, tube blocks 16A3, 16A4, and 16A5 arranged between the tube blocks 16A1 and 16A2, and tube blocks 16A8, 16A9, and 16A10 arranged between the tube blocks 16A6 and 16A7 are illustrated.

The cooling water led from the lead-in box 16BinA passes inside the tubes 16P of the group 16PA to cool steam 16S and is discharged to the discharge box 16BoutA. The cooling water led from the lead-in box 16BinB passes inside the tubes 16P of the group 16PB to cool the steam 16S and is discharged to the discharge box 16BoutB. The cooling water temperature detectors 30 detect the cooling water inlet temperature T1 which is the temperature of the cooling water led into, for example, the lead-in box 16BinA and the lead-in box 16BinB.

Here, in the case where one cooling water temperature detector 30 is provided in each of the lead-in box 16BinA and the lead-in box 16BinB, an arithmetic mean value of the temperatures detected by the cooling water temperature detectors 30 is the cooling water inlet temperature T1. Further, in the case where the plurality of cooling water temperature detectors 30 are provided in each of the lead-in box 16BinA and the lead-in box 16BinB, an arithmetic mean value of the temperatures detected by the plurality of cooling water temperature detectors 30 is the cooling water inlet temperature T1.

The cooling water temperature detectors 31 detect the cooling water outlet temperature T2 which is the temperature of the cooling water discharged from the tubes 16P. Here, in the case where one cooling water temperature detector 31 is provided in each of the discharge box 16BoutA and the discharge box 16BoutB, an arithmetic mean value of the temperatures detected by the respective cooling water temperature detectors 31 is the cooling water outlet temperature T2. Further, in the case where the plurality of cooling water temperature detectors 31 are provided in each of the discharge box 16BoutA and the discharge box 16BoutB, an arithmetic mean value of the temperatures detected by the plurality of cooling water temperature detectors 31 is the cooling water outlet temperature T2.

This also applies to the case where the cooling water temperature detectors 31 are provided in the discharge port 16WoutA and the discharge port 16WoutB respectively. An arithmetic mean value of the temperature of the cooling water at the discharge port 16WoutA and the temperature of the cooling water at the discharge port 16WoutB, which are detected by the cooling water temperature detectors 31 respectively, is the cooling water outlet temperature T2. This also applies to the case where the plurality of cooling water temperature detectors 31 are provided in each of the discharge port 16WoutA and the discharge port 16WoutB, and an arithmetic mean value of the temperatures detected by the plurality of cooling water temperature detectors 31 respectively is the cooling water outlet temperature T2.

The casing 16cav has, in its upper surface, a steam inlet port 16Sin connected to the exhaust pipe 24 of the steam turbine facility 1 and has, in its bottom surface, a drain port 16Cout for discharging the condensed water of the steam 16S. The steam 16S led from the discharge pipe 24 is cooled by coming into contact with the surfaces of the plurality of tubes 16P to be condensed into water, and the water pools on the bottom of the casing 16cav. The water pooling on the bottom of the casing 16cav is discharged from the drain port 16Cout.

Next, the condenser state predicting device 18 will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the condenser state predicting device 18 includes a measurement data obtaining unit 41, an arithmetic unit 42, a user interface 43, and a storage unit 44. The condenser state predicting device 18 can be implemented by, for example, a computer device or the like.

The measurement data obtaining unit 41 is an interface that obtains the detection signals indicating the cooling water inlet temperature T1, which are output from the cooling water temperature detectors 30, and the detection signals indicating the cooling water outlet temperature T2, which are output from the cooling water temperature detectors 31. The measurement data obtaining unit 41 obtains these detection signals at a predetermined time interval (for example, a one-hour interval). The measurement data obtaining unit 41 converts the obtained detection signals indicating the cooling water inlet temperature T1 and the obtained detection signals indicating the cooling water outlet temperature T2 into pieces of temperature information and outputs them to the storage unit 44. Further, the measurement data obtaining unit 41 obtains a cumulative operating time of the steam turbine facility 1 to output it to the storage unit 44.

The arithmetic unit 42 is an arithmetic block that evaluates the performance of the condenser and predicts the thickness reduction of its tubes. The arithmetic unit 42 reads a predetermined program to its internal memory area (not illustrated) from the storage unit 44 and executes the program to execute a predetermined function. The arithmetic unit 42 includes a specification calculator 400, an overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410, a thickness reduction ratio calculator 420, and a display information generator (display information generating circuitry) 430.

The specification calculator 400 is an arithmetic block that calculates basic data of the condenser 16, such as the inside diameter of the tubes, their heat transfer area, flow velocity therein, and so on. The overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 is an arithmetic block that calculates an overall heat transfer coefficient of the condenser 16, its cleanliness factor, a condenser internal pressure, and so on. The thickness reduction ratio calculator 420 is an arithmetic block that calculates a thickness reduction ratio, a residual thickness ratio, and so on of the tubes 16P of the condenser 16. The specification calculator 400, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410, and the thickness reduction ratio calculator 420 output the calculated results to a calculation result storage 470 of the storage unit 44. The display information generator 430 is an arithmetic block that generates screen display information that is to be provided to a user through the user interface 43, based on the calculation results by the various arithmetic units and display templates stored in a later-described template storage 480. Further, the display information generator 430 outputs the screen display information to the user interface 43 and a display information storage 490.

The screen display information may be in any format as long as the display device as the user interface 43 is capable of displaying it. Examples of the format of the screen display information include the html format for which the template can be easily prepared in advance.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the screen display information generated by the display information generator 430 of the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, screen display information 300 includes a condenser state prediction result 330, a state prediction result summary 340, and a tube block layout diagram 350 of the condenser. The condenser state prediction result 330 includes two groups A and B. As performance information indicating the performance of the condenser, the group A includes a cleanliness factor 332a, a condenser internal pressure 334a, and a contribution rate 336a of an overall heat transfer coefficient (first calculation data), and the group B includes a cleanliness factor 332b, a condenser internal pressure 334b, and a contribution rate 336b of an overall heat transfer coefficient (second calculation data). The cleanliness factor 332a, the condenser internal pressure 334a, and the contribution rate 336a of the overall heat transfer displayed in the group A, are predicted values based on data of initial values (design values), and the cleanliness factor 332b, the condenser internal pressure 334b, and the contribution rate 336b of the overall heat transfer coefficient displayed in the group B are predicted values calculated based on newly input or obtained information. Note that the performance information of the condenser 16 may include the overall heat transfer coefficient.

The cleanliness factors 332a, 332b and the condenser internal pressures 334a, 334b are displayed as semi-circular graphs, for example, and their predicted numerical values are also displayed together. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the numerical values indicating the cleanliness factors 332a, 332b are expressed in percentage. The contribution rates 336a, 336b of the overall heat transfer coefficient are displayed as, for example, bar graphs each representing a ratio (contribution rate) of an average value of the overall heat transfer coefficients in each tube block to an average value of the overall heat transfer coefficients in the entire tube group 16PA or tube group 16PB of the condenser 16. That is, the average value of the overall heat transfer coefficients in each tube block in the group is divided by the average value of the overall heat transfer coefficients of all the tubes of the condenser 16, and the resultant value in percentage is the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient represented by the bar graph.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the bar graphs of the tube blocks whose contribution rates of the overall heat transfer coefficients exceed 100% are colored (hatched in the drawing). In this manner, in the example of the screen display information 300 illustrated in FIG. 7, the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient is displayed as the bar graph for each tube block, and the tube blocks where it exceeds the reference 100% and the tube blocks where it does not exceed 100% are distinguished by color.

The display contents of the state prediction result summary 340 include data serving as a basis of the predictive calculation and the numerical values of the prediction results.

The tube block layout diagram 350 schematically illustrates the layout of the tube blocks. The tube block layout diagram 350 illustrates the layout of the tube blocks of the condenser. The tube block layout diagram 350 is configured to be capable of selectively displaying either of the group 16PA and the group 16PB into which the interior of the casing 16cav is divided.

Here, FIG. 8 illustrates another example of the screen display information generated by the display information generator 430 of the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment. In an example of a tube block layout diagram 351 of screen display information 301 illustrated in FIG. 8, the tube blocks where the contribution rates of the overall heat transfer coefficients exceed 100% are colored (hatched in the drawing). In this case, for example, based on the second calculation data, the tube blocks where the contribution rates of the overall heat transfer coefficient exceed 100% are colored (hatched in the drawing). In this manner, in the tube block layout diagram 351, the tube block where it exceeds the reference 100% and the tube block where it does not exceed 100% may be distinguished by color, as in the bar-graph display. Alternatively, similarly to the tube block layout diagram 350, the tube block layout diagram 351 may function merely to display the layout of the tube blocks.

FIG. 9 illustrates another example of the screen display information generated by the display information generator 430 of the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, in screen display information 302, a residual thickness ratio 360 in each tube block is displayed. The residual thickness ratio is a ratio of the residual tube thickness in each tube block in the group to an initial value (design value) of the tube thickness in the tube block in the group. In other words, the residual thickness found based on the thickness reduction ratio is divided by the tube thickness initial value, and the resultant value expressed in percentage is the residual thickness ratio.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 9 as well, the screen display information 302 includes group A (first calculation data) and group B (second calculation data). The group A displays a residual thickness ratio 362a that is based on data of the initial value (design value), and the group B displays a residual thickness ratio 362b that is a predicted value calculated based on newly input or obtained information. In the screen display information 302 illustrated in FIG. 9 as well, the residual thickness ratio in each tube block of the tubes 16P of the condenser 16 can be displayed. Further, the display contents of the screen display information 302 illustrated in FIG. 9 also include a state prediction result summary 340 displaying data serving as a basis of the predictive calculation and the calculation results. A tube block layout diagram 350 of the condenser is also included.

The residual thickness ratio 362a and the residual thickness ratio 362b illustrated in FIG. 9 are each residual thickness information represented by bar graphs each representing, in percentage, a ratio of an average value of the residual thickness ratios in each tube block that are based on the calculated thickness reduction ratio, to the thickness of the tubes 16P in the initial state (design value). Above and below each top of the bar graph display, plots indicating the maximum value and the minimum value of the residual thickness ratio in the tube block are displayed. In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the circular plots each indicating the maximum value of the residual thickness ratio and the rhombus plots each indicating the minimum value of the residual thickness ratio are displayed. In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, a threshold line C at a predetermined value is displayed as a residual thickness ratio threshold value for the recommendation of a tube change or a plugging operation.

In FIG. 9, the tube block layout diagram 350 schematically illustrates the layout of the tube blocks. The tube block layout diagram 350 illustrates the layout of the tube blocks of the condenser. The tube block layout diagram 350 is capable of selectively displaying either of the group 16PA and the group 16PB into which the interior of the casing 16cav is divided.

Here, FIG. 10 illustrates another example of the screen display information generated by the display information generator 430 of the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment. In an example of a tube block layout diagram 352 of screen display information 303 illustrated in FIG. 10, the tube blocks where the residual thickness ratios 362b that are based on the calculated thickness reduction ratios exceed the threshold line C are colored (hatched in the drawing). In this case, based on, for example, the second calculation data, the tube blocks where the residual thickness ratios exceed the threshold line C are colored (hatched in the drawing). In this case, the tube block where the residual thickness ratio is below the threshold line C may be colored, or the tube block where it exceeds the threshold line C and the tube block where it is below the threshold line C may be colored differently. In this manner, in the tube layout diagram 352, the tube block where it exceeds the reference and the tube block where it is below the reference may be distinguished by color.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 to FIG. 10, the pieces of screen display information 300, 301, 302, 303 each include an overall heat transfer coefficient display button 310, a residual thickness ratio display button 312, a calculation start button 314, and an inspection record button 316. The overall heat transfer coefficient display button 310 is a button for causing the display of the screen display information 300 showing the calculation results of the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient, and the residual thickness ratio display button 312 is a button for causing the display of the screen display information 302 showing the calculation results of the residual thickness ratio.

The overall heat transfer coefficient display button 310 in the screen display information 300 is highlighted. When the residual thickness display button 312 is selected with a mouse or the like, the display information generator 430 changes the screen display information that is to be displayed, from the screen display information 300 to the screen display information 302. Similarly, the residual thickness ratio display button 312 in the screen display information 302 is highlighted. When the overall heat transfer coefficient display button 310 is selected with the mouse or the like, the display information generator 430 changes the screen display information to be displayed, from the screen display information 302 to the screen display information 300.

The calculation start button 314 is a button for instructing the start of the calculation. The inspection record button 316 is a button for causing the past inspection record data to be reflected. The calculation start button 314 and the inspection record button 316 can also be selected with the mouse serving as the later-described user interface 43.

The user interface 43 includes a display device where various pieces of information are displayed to a user (manager) and an input device through which the user inputs various pieces of information. The display device is constituted by, for example, a display device. The display device may be constituted by a touch panel having not only the function of a display screen but also the function of an input device to whose screen the input can be directly made. Examples of the input device include a keyboard and a mouse.

The storage unit 44 is a storage medium that stores temperature information and pressure information which are obtained by the measurement data obtaining unit 41, data used in the calculation by the arithmetic unit 42 and the calculation results thereof, display data that are to be provided to the user through the user interface 43, templates of the display data, and so on. The storage unit 44 can be implemented by, for example, a hard disk drive, a nonvolatile memory, or the like. The storage unit 44 may be physically isolated from the condenser state predicting device 18 with a not-illustrated network or the like therebetween, for instance. The storage unit 44 has an input information storage 440, a measurement information storage 450, a program storage 460, the calculation result storage 470, the template storage 480, and the display information storage 490.

The input information storage 440 is a memory area storing various pieces of information input through the user interface 43. Examples of the information input through the user interface 43 include various operating conditions, various setting conditions, and regular inspection records.

The measurement information storage 450 is a memory area storing various pieces of information obtained by the measurement data obtaining unit 41. The program storage 460 is a memory area storing programs for the execution of the functions of the various arithmetic units, numerical formula information, and so on.

The calculation result storage 470 is a memory area storing the results of the calculations by the various arithmetic units. The template storage 480 is a memory area storing the display templates used when the display information generator 430 generates the display information. The display template is information indicating the composition of the screen display information displayed by the display device serving as the user interface 43, and for example, the position of graph display, the position of numerical value display, and so on are set in advance. Further, the display template may include information indicating the composition of screen display information prompting a user to input data and parameters. The display information storage 490 is a memory area storing the screen display information generated by the display information generator 430. The display device as the user interface 43 reads the screen display information generated by the display information generator 430 from the display information storage 490 to display it.

(Calculating Operations by Arithmetic Unit)

Next, the operations of calculating the predicted values of the cleanliness factor, the condenser internal pressure, the overall heat transfer coefficient, and the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient by the arithmetic unit 42 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the calculating operations by the specification calculator 400 and the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 of the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment.

The user interface 43 receives the input of parameters necessary for the calculation. Examples of the input parameters include the size and material of the tubes 16P of the condenser 16, a tube correction factor CV for correcting a difference between the overall heat transfer coefficient of each of the tubes 16P and an average overall heat transfer coefficient of analysis results, the number of the tubes 16P to which the feeding of the cooling water is stopped (the number of plugged tubes), and a tube material correction factor FM that HEI (Heat Exchange Institute) sets for each material of the tubes 16P. The parameters received by the user interface 43 may be stored in the input information storage 440 of the storage unit 44 in advance.

As the measurement information, the measurement data obtaining unit 41 obtains the cooling water inlet temperature T1, the cooling water outlet temperature T2, the condenser pressure P, a cooling water flow rate GW, and other operational data of the condenser 16 and the generator 15. In the case where the plurality of cooling water temperature detectors 30 and the plurality of cooling water temperature detectors 31 are provided, an average value of a plurality of pieces of detection data is used as each of the cooling water inlet temperature T1 and the cooling water outlet temperature T2. At the same time, the specification calculator 400 calculates a heat exchange duty Duty according to the following formula, from actual power data out of the operational data.

$\begin{array}{cc}\mathrm{Duty}=\frac{\mathrm{Actual}\mathrm{Power}\left(\mathrm{MW}\right)}{\mathrm{Rated}\mathrm{Power}\left(\mathrm{MW}\right)}\times \mathrm{Condenser}\mathrm{Design}\mathrm{Duty}\left(\mathrm{kW}\right)& \left(1\right)\end{array}$

In the case where the measurement data obtaining unit 41 cannot obtain the cooling water flow rate GW, the specification calculator 400 may calculate the cooling water flow rate GW according to the following formula,

$\begin{array}{cc}\mathrm{GW}=\frac{\mathrm{Duty}}{Cp\times \gamma \times \left(T2-T1\right)}\left(m^3/\sec \right)& \left(2\right)\end{array}$

where Cp is the specific heat (kJ/kgK) of the cooling water, and γ is the density (kg/m³) of the cooling water.

In the case where the measurement data obtaining unit 41 cannot obtain the cooling water outlet temperature T2, the specification calculator 400 may calculate the cooling water outlet temperature T2 according to the following formula.

$\begin{array}{cc}T2=T1+\frac{\mathrm{Duty}}{Cp\times \gamma \times GW}\left(\mathrm{deg}.C\right)& \left(3\right)\end{array}$

Note that the various parameters obtained by the measurement data obtaining unit 41 may be input through the user interface 43.

Here, the case where the tubes 16P of the condenser 16 include two kinds of tubes 16P1 and tubes 16P2 is shown as an example. The specification calculator 400 calculates a tube internal flow velocity V1 in the tubes 16P1 and a tube internal flow velocity V2 in the tubes 16P2 according to the following formula, based on the numbers N1, N2 of the tubes 16P1 and the tubes 16P2 and their inside diameters di1, di1 (step S210).

$\begin{array}{cc}V1=\frac{GW}{\pi /4\times {\left[di{1}^2\times N1+di{2}^2\times N2\times \left(\mathrm{di}2/\mathrm{di}1\right)\right]}^{1/1.4}}\left(m/s\right)& \left(4\right)\end{array}$ $\begin{array}{cc}V2=V1\times {\left(\mathrm{di}2/\mathrm{di}1\right)}^{\left(1/1.4\right)}\left(m/s\right)& \left(5\right)\end{array}$

The overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates the overall heat transfer coefficient. The program storage 460 retains, in advance, the HEI cooling water velocity correction table, cooling water inlet temperature correction table, and correction factors of the materials of the tubes 16P1 and the tubes 16P2.

First, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates overall heat transfer coefficients Up1, Up2 from the HEI cooling water velocity correction table, based on the inside diameters di1, di2 of the tubes 16P1 and the tubes 16P2 and the flow velocities V1, V2 therein. Further, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates a cooling water temperature correction factor FW from the HEI inlet temperature correction table. Further, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates the tube material correction factor FM from the HEI tube material correction factor.

Next, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates corrected overall heat transfer coefficients U1, U2 according to the following formula, using the calculated overall heat transfer coefficients Up1, Up2, cooling temperature correction factor FW, and tube material correction factor FM. The overall heat transfer coefficients U1 and U2 are corrected overall heat transfer coefficients corresponding to the tubes 16P1 and the tubes 16P2 respectively.

$\begin{array}{cc}U1=Up1\times FW\times \mathrm{FM}\left(W/m^{2}K\right)& \left(6\right)\end{array}$ $\begin{array}{cc}U2=Up2\times FW\times \mathrm{FM}\left(W/m^{2}K\right)& \left(7\right)\end{array}$

The overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates a reference overall heat transfer coefficient Um from the overall heat transfer coefficients U1, U2 according to the following formula (step S220). The overall heat transfer coefficient Um is a theoretical reference overall heat transfer coefficient of the whole condenser 16 including the two kinds of tubes 16P1 and tubes 16P2.

$\begin{array}{cc}Um=\frac{U1\times N1+U2\times N2}{N1+N2}\left(W/m^{2}K\right)& \left(8\right)\end{array}$

The overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates an overall heat transfer coefficient U_Ai of each of the tubes 16P according to the following formula (9), based on the calculated overall heat transfer coefficient Um and the tube correction factor CV of each of the tubes 16P (step S230). Further, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates an average value of the overall heat transfer coefficients U_Ai in which the tube correction factor is taken into consideration, by summing up the overall heat transfer coefficients U_Ai of the respective tubes 16P and dividing the total overall heat transfer coefficient by the number of the tubes 16P, according to the following formula (10) (step S240).

$\begin{array}{cc}{U}_{\mathrm{Ai}}=\mathrm{Um}\times \mathrm{CV}\left(W/m^{2}K\right)& \left(9\right)\end{array}$ $\begin{array}{cc}\stackrel{\_}{U_{Ai}}=\frac{\sum U_{A\dot{t}}\left(\mathrm{Excluding}\mathrm{Plugged}\mathrm{Tube}\right)}{\mathrm{Number}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{Tubes}\left(\mathrm{Excluding}\mathrm{Plugged}\mathrm{Tube}\right)}\left(W/m^{2}K\right)& \left(10\right)\end{array}$

The overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates a theoretical reference overall heat transfer coefficient UA with a plugging rate-based heat transfer coefficient taken into consideration, using the average value U_Ai of the overall heat transfer coefficients, according to the following formula,

$\begin{array}{cc}{u}_A=\stackrel{\_}{U_{\mathrm{Ai}}}\times f\left(x\right)\left(W/m^{2}K\right)& \left(11\right)\end{array}$

where f(X) is a correction factor of the plugging rate found from a flow analysis. The plugging rate X when the number of the plugged tubes is Nx is calculated by the following formula.

$\begin{array}{cc}X=\frac{N_X}{N1+N2}& \left(12\right)\end{array}$

Here, for example, the overall heat transfer coefficient of the tube block 16A1 illustrated in FIG. 5 (the block A1 in the tube block layout diagram 350) is found by dividing the sum of the overall heat transfer coefficients U_Ai of the respective tubes 16P included in the block A1 by the number of these tubes, according to the formula (10). The contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient in the screen display information 300 illustrated in FIG. 7 is a ratio of the overall heat transfer coefficient in each of the tube blocks (blocks) to the reference overall heat transfer coefficient UA of the whole condenser 16.

For example, the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient in the tube block 16A1 (block A1) illustrated in FIG. 7 is a percentage expression of the quotient of the division of the overall heat transfer coefficient in the tube block 16A1 calculated according to the formula (10), by the reference overall heat transfer coefficient UA as described above. By the same method, the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient in each of the tube blocks is calculated. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the contribution rates of the overall heat transfer coefficient in the respective tube blocks are displayed as the bar graphs. Note that the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient is calculated by the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410.

Subsequently, according to the following formula, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates an overall heat transfer coefficient K that is based on a measured value in the condenser, based on the heat exchange duty Duty, the heat transfer area A of the entire tubes 16P, and the plugging rate X in the condenser 16,

$\begin{array}{cc}K=\frac{\mathrm{Duty}\times 1000}{A\left(1-X\right)\times \theta m}\left(W/m^{2}K\right)& \left(13\right)\end{array}$ $\begin{array}{cc}\theta m=\frac{T2-T1}{\ln \left(\frac{TS-T1}{TS-T2}\right)}\left(K\right)& \left(14\right)\end{array}$

where Ts is the saturation temperature at the condenser pressure P.

The overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates a cleanliness factor ϕ according to the following formula, based on the overall heat transfer coefficient K, which is based on the measured value in the condenser, and the reference overall heat transfer coefficient U_A. The overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 outputs the calculated cleanliness factor ϕ to the calculation result storage 470. Note that the cleanliness factor ϕ is expressed in, for example, percentage in the condenser performance prediction result 330 as illustrated in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

$\begin{array}{cc}\varphi =\frac{K}{U_A}& \left(15\right)\end{array}$

Next, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates a predicted value of the condenser internal pressure. The overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates the theoretical reference overall heat transfer coefficient U_AX according to formula (9) to formula (12), based on a new parameter (for example, X′ which is a plugging rate) received by the user interface 43. Further, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates a performance predicted value U_A′ of the overall heat transfer coefficient by multiplying the reference overall heat transfer coefficient U_AX by the cleanliness factor ϕ according to the following formula.

$\begin{array}{cc}{U}_A^{\prime }=\varphi \times U_{AX}\left(W/m^{2}K\right)& \left(16\right)\end{array}$

Subsequently, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 finds a log-mean temperature difference θm′ from a relational formula of the performance predicted value U_A′ of the overall heat transfer coefficient, according to the following formula (17) and formula (18). Then, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates a saturation temperature TS′ of the condenser according to the following formula (19), based on the cooling water inlet temperature T1, the cooling water outlet temperature T2, and the calculated log-mean temperature difference θm′ (step S250).

Then, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 applies the calculated saturation temperature TS′ to the steam table pre-stored in the program storage 460 to calculate a condenser internal pressure P′ (step S260). The condenser internal pressure P′ is a predicted internal pressure. The overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 outputs the calculated internal pressure to the calculation result storage 470.

$\begin{array}{cc}{U}_A^{\prime }=\frac{1000\times \mathrm{Duty}}{A\left(1-X^{\prime }\right)\times \theta m^{\prime }}& \left(17\right)\end{array}$ $\begin{array}{cc}\theta m^{\prime }=\frac{1000\times \mathrm{Duty}}{A\left(1-X^{\prime }\right)\times U_A^{\prime }}\left(K\right)& \left(18\right)\end{array}$ $\begin{array}{cc}T{S}^{\prime }=\frac{T2\times e^{\frac{T2-T1}{\theta m}}-T1}{T2-T1}\left(\mathrm{deg}.C\right)& \left(19\right)\end{array}$

Next, the thickness reduction ratio calculating operation by the arithmetic unit 42 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the calculating operation by the thickness reduction ratio calculator 420 of the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment.

The thickness reduction ratio calculator 420 obtains operational data from the measurement information storage 450 (step S270).

The thickness reduction ratio calculator 420 calculates a cumulative value of the plant operating time from the obtained operational data (step S280). Note that the thickness reduction ratio calculator 420 may use, as the cumulative value, a virtual operating time or the like received through the user interface 43.

The thickness reduction ratio calculator 420 calculates a thickness reduction ratio according to the following formula from the cumulative value of the plant operating time (step S290). The thickness reduction ratio calculator 420 outputs data of the calculated thickness reduction ratio to the calculation result storage 470. The thickness reduction ratio is found as a value statistically approximated based on the results of an eddy current test (ECT) (thickness reduction ratio to time).

$\begin{array}{cc}T=\sum _{i=1}^n\Delta \mathrm{Ti}& \left(20\right)\end{array}$ $\begin{array}{cc}y=g\left(T\right)& \left(21\right)\end{array}$

Here, T is the cumulative plant operating time, y is the predicted thickness reduction ratio, and g(T) is a function of the cumulative plant operating time. The cumulative plant operating time may be stored in the storage unit 44 through the user interface 43 in advance, or may be output to the storage unit 44 through the measurement data obtaining unit 41 in advance.

As the residual thickness ratio 360 in the screen display information 302 and the screen display information 303, the thickness reduction ratio calculator 420 calculates a residual thickness ratio of the tubes 16P of the condenser 16 based on the predicted thickness reduction ratio y. The residual thickness ratio is a ratio of the residual thickness of the tubes 16P when the cumulative plant operating time T passes, to the reference value, that is, the initial value (design value) of the thickness of the tubes 16P and is expressed in percentage. The residual thickness ratio may be an average value in each tube block. The thickness reduction ratio calculator 420 outputs data of the calculated residual thickness ratio to the calculation result storage 470 of the storage unit 44.

(Overall Operation of Condenser State Predicting Device 18)

Next, the operation of the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the overall operation of the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment.

The user interface 43 receives specification data of the condenser 16 from a user (step S110). Examples of the specification data received by the user interface 43 include the size, material, and overall heat transfer coefficient data of the tubes of the condenser, the number of plugged tubes, the HEI tube material correction coefficient FM, and so on. The specification data may be stored in the input information storage 440 in advance. The user interface 43 outputs the received information to the input information storage 440.

Next, the measurement data obtaining unit 41 obtains the temperature information regarding the cooling water inlet temperature T1 and the cooling water outlet temperature T2 detected by the cooling water temperature detectors 30 and the cooling water temperature detectors 31, the condenser pressure P detected by the condenser pressure detector 32, the actual power of the generator 15, the flow rate of the cooling water fed to the condenser 16, and so on, and outputs them to the measurement information storage 450 (step S120). The measurement data obtaining unit 41 may daily store these pieces of information in the measurement information storage 450 so that they can be read from the arithmetic unit 42.

In the initial state, the display information generator 430 generates the screen display information 300 or the screen display information 302 including the initial values, the previously calculated values, or the like and causes the display device or the like serving as the user interface 43 to display it. When the user selects, for example, the calculation start button 314 with the mouse or the like serving as the user interface 43, the display information generator 430 generates screen display information prompting the user to input or select a calculation condition for the arithmetic operation and presents it to the user.

FIG. 14 illustrates screen display information 304a prompting the user to input the calculation condition based on an existing heat balance HB. In the example illustrated in FIG. 14, the user can input the calculation condition by selecting, with the mouse or the like, one of 100% load, 75% load, 50% load, and 25% load indicating a load of the steam turbine. Note that, for example, data of the heat balance HB such as the cooling water inlet temperature T1, the cooling water outlet temperature T2, the heat exchange duty, and the cooling water flow rate are set in advance as input information based on the load of the steam turbine and are stored in the input information storage 440.

FIG. 15 illustrates screen display information 304b prompting the user to input a calculation condition based on past real time operational data. In the example illustrated in FIG. 15, operating parameters at designated date and time (Date, Time) can be designated. Examples of the operating parameters include the cooling water inlet temperature T1, the cooling water outlet temperature T2, the heat exchange duty, and the cooling water flow rate.

FIG. 16 illustrates screen display information 305 prompting the user to input optional conditions in the input of the calculation condition that is based on the heat balance HB illustrated in FIG. 14 or in the input of the calculation condition that is based on the past real time operational data illustrated in FIG. 15. In the example illustrated in FIG. 16, the data that is input based on the heat balance HB or the past real time operational data can be modified.

FIG. 17 illustrates screen display information 304c prompting the input when the user sets the calculation condition as desired. In the example illustrated in FIG. 17, the calculation condition can be directly input using a keyboard or the like serving as the user interface 43.

The screen display information 304a prompting the user to input the calculation condition based on the existing heat balance HB value, the screen display information 304b prompting the user to input the calculation condition based on the past real time operational data, and the screen display information 304c prompting the input when the user sets the calculation condition as desired each include a heat balance input button 320, a past data input button 322, and a customized setting button 324. By selecting any one of these buttons through the user interface 43, the user can cause the selected screen display information to be displayed, thereby capable of making the corresponding input or selection.

FIG. 18 illustrates screen display information 306a prompting the input of whether the specification of the condenser 16 is modified after the calculation condition is input. In the case where the user selects the presence of the specification modification (Yes), the user can input basic specification data of the condenser 16 through a storage medium such as a USB memory serving as the user interface 43.

FIG. 19 is an example of the basic specification data of the condenser 16. As illustrated in FIG. 19, basic specification data 306b includes information specifying the tube 16P of the condenser 16 (tube block sign, tube block No., tube block column No., tube block row No.) and information such as whether or not the specified tube 16P is plugged for stopping the cooling water and the kind of the material in retubing. The basic specification data 306b can be created as text data in, for example, the csv format and can be input through the user interface 43.

When the user selects, for example, the inspection record button 316 of the screen display information 302 with the mouse or the like serving as the user interface 43, the display information generator 430 generates screen display information prompting the selection of an inspection record to present it to the user. FIG. 20 illustrates an example of screen display information 308a prompting the input of the inspection record. In response to the display of the screen display information 308a, the user can input the inspection record data created as the text data in, for example, the csv format through the user interface 43.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example of the inspection record data. As illustrated in FIG. 21, inspection record data 308b includes the tube block sign, the tube block No., the tube block column No., and the tube block row No. which identify the tube 16P of the condenser 16, the ECT-based residual thickness ratio, the plugging state, the retubing state, and so on.

When, subsequently to the input of the inspection record data, the user selects the calculation start button 314 of the screen display information 302 using the mouse or the like serving as the user interface 43, the display information generator 430 generates screen display information prompting the input or selection of the calculation condition for arithmetic operation to present it to the user.

FIG. 22 illustrates an example of screen display information 309 promoting the input of calculation conditions such as the thickness reduction prediction time, plant operational availability up to the prediction time, and an inspection record serving as an initial value in the calculation. The user can input these calculation conditions through the keyboard serving as the user interface 43 according to the screen display information 309.

When the calculation conditions are given by the user according to the pieces of screen display information exemplified in FIG. 14 to FIG. 22, the specification calculator 400, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410, and the thickness reduction ratio calculator 420 of the arithmetic unit 42 obtain various pieces of information from the input information storage 440 and the measurement information storage 450 to calculate the cleanliness factor, the condenser internal pressure, the overall heat transfer coefficient, the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient, the predicted thickness reduction ratio, the residual thickness ratio, and so on by the above-described calculating operations (step S130). The arithmetic unit 42 outputs the calculation results to the calculation result storage 470 of the storage unit 44.

FIG. 23 illustrates an example of the calculation results including the predicted thickness reduction ratio calculated by the thickness reduction ratio calculator 420. As illustrated in FIG. 23, the calculation result 370 including the predicted thickness reduction ratio can include the tube block sign, the tube block No., the tube block column No., and the tube block row No. which identify the tube of the condenser 16, the plugging state, the predicted thickness reduction ratio, the thickness reduction ratio, and so on. The calculation result 370 may include the residual thickness ratio stored in the calculation result storage 470. Such a calculation result 370 may be generated as, for example, text data in the csv format. In this case, the user can cause the calculation result 370 to be output through the user interface 43.

Next, the display information generator 430 reads the cleanliness factor, the condenser internal pressure, the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient, the residual thickness ratio, and so on which are the calculation results, from the calculation result storage 470, and reads the template of the screen display information that is to be displayed on the display device serving as the user interface 43, from the template storage 480 (step S140). The display information generator 430 applies the calculation results to the template of the screen display information, and for example, generates the screen display information 300 or the screen display information 302 (step S150).

The display information generator 430 sends one of the generated screen display information 300-screen display information 303 to the display device serving as the user interface 43 to output it to the user (step S160). Further, the display information generator 430 outputs this one of the generated screen display information 300-screen display information 303 to the display information storage 490. The display device as the user interface 43 reads the generated screen display information from the display information storage 490 to display it.

The user is capable of obtaining more detailed calculation results through the display device serving as the user interface 43 displaying the screen display information 300 or the screen display information 302. FIG. 24 illustrates an example of screen display information 372 generated by the display information generator 430 in the case where the user selects, for example, the bar graph of the tube block A2 in the residual thickness ratio 362b in the screen display information 302 with the mouse or the like. In this embodiment, when, for example, the bar group representing the thickness reduction ratio-based residual thickness ratio in the screen display information 302 is selected, the display information generator 430 is capable of generating the screen display information 372 showing a distribution chart of the residual thickness ratio of the corresponding tube block. As illustrated in FIG. 24, the screen display information 372 includes a distribution chart of the residual thickness ratio of the tubes of the tube block A2, with 50% being defined as a reference.

After outputting one of the screen display information 300-the screen display information 303, the user interface 43 is on standby for accepting the input from the user (step S170). When detecting the input of information or a parameter as a new calculation condition as a result of the user's selection of the calculation start button 314 with the mouse or the like (step S170 Yes), the user interface 43 outputs this input information to the input information storage 440. Further, when the input information is output from the user interface 43, the arithmetic unit 42 executes arithmetic processing based on the new calculation condition, and the display information generator 430 updates the screen display information (step S130 to step S160). The display information generator 430 outputs the updated screen display information to the display information storage 490. The display device as the user interface 43 reads the updated screen display information from the display information storage 490 to display it.

On the updated screen display information, the updating is made such that the cleanliness factor 332b, the condenser internal pressure 334b, and the contribution rate 336b of the overall heat transfer coefficient or the residual thickness ratio 362b which have been displayed as the group B are displayed as the cleanliness factor 332a, the condenser internal pressure 334a, and the contribution rate 336a of the overall heat transfer coefficient or the residual thickness ratio 362a of the group A, and the calculation results based on the new calculation conditions are displayed as the cleanliness factor 332b, the condenser internal pressure 334b, and the contribution rate 336b of the overall heat transfer coefficient or the residual thickness ratio 362b of the group B. That is, the display of the group A includes the calculation results that are based on the calculation condition (first calculation condition) set before the calculation results updated according to the new calculation condition, and the display of the group B includes the calculation results updated according to the latest calculation condition (second calculation condition). The screen display of such screen display information can facilitate visual comparison of the initial values or the previous calculation results with the latest calculation result.

As described above, the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment is capable of calculating the predicted values of the cleanliness factor of the condenser 16, the condenser internal pressure, the overall heat transfer coefficient, the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient, the thickness reduction ratio, and the tube residual thickness ratio and outputting the calculation results as the screen display information. Consequently, the user is capable of visually grasping the residual thickness state at the present or in the future with the latest records taken into consideration, without performing a regular inspection.

Further, the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment visually displays whether or not the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient or the residual thickness ratio exceeds the reference point, so that, at a desired time, the user can easily visually grasp the number of tubes (tube blocks) in which it exceeds the threshold value. This achieves the smooth preparation of repair parts for the repairing of the condenser 16.

Further, using desired information or parameters, the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment is capable of displaying the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient or the residual thickness ratio in a comparative manner. Therefore, by repeating the calculation in the condenser state predicting device 18 while varying the information or the parameters, it is also possible for the user to grasp an operating parameter for extending the life of the tubes of the condenser 16.

Here, an example of the overall operation of the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 25 and FIGS. 26A to 26D. FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation in which the user predicts performance using the condenser state predicting device 18 of the embodiment.

Here, the operation of predicting the residual thickness ratio at a specific future point in time by referring to the result of the residual thickness ratio that is based on the past inspection data will be described as an example.

When the user designates a prediction-target condenser through the input device serving as the user interface 43 and selects the residual thickness ratio display button 312 of the screen display information, the display information generator 430 generates screen display information including the residual thickness ratio, based on the display template stored in the template storage 480 (step S400). FIG. 26A illustrates screen display information 302a which is an example where the tube residual thickness ratio 360 is displayed.

When the user further inputs the inspection record data 308b illustrated in FIG. 21 in response to the screen display information 308a illustrated in FIG. 20, the condenser state predicting device 18 imports the residual thickness ratios included in the inspection record data 308b into the input information storage 440 of the storage unit 44. The display information generator 430 generates the screen display information 302a including, as the residual thickness ratios 362a, 362b, the residual thickness ratios included in the inspection record data 308b. As illustrated in FIG. 26A, at this stage, in both the groups A and B of the screen display information 302a, the same graphs representing residual thickness information including the residual thickness ratios of the inspection record data 308b are displayed.

Next, the user sets a period for residual thickness ratio prediction (step S410). When the user inputs an assumed value of the cumulative plant operating time (period) through the input screen displayed in the screen display information 309 in FIG. 22 and selects the calculation start button 314, the residual thickness ratio arithmetic unit 420 calculates the thickness reduction ratio (step S420). The display information generator 430 generates screen display information including, as the residual thickness ratio 362b, a residual thickness ratio that is based on the thickness reduction ratio calculated by the thickness reduction ratio calculator 420.

FIG. 26B illustrates screen display information 302b including the residual thickness ratio 362b calculated based on the cumulative plant operating time given by the user. The screen display information 302b includes, as the residual thickness ratio 362a, the residual thickness information including the residual thickness ratio that is based on the inspection record data 308b, and includes, as the residual thickness ratio 362b, residual thickness information including the residual thickness ratio that is based on the thickness reduction ratio predicted based on the cumulative time given by the user. The user is capable of recognizing the tendency of the tube thickness reduction by referring to the screen display information 302b in which the residual thickness ratio at the inspection time and the residual thickness ratio that is based on the predicted thickness reduction ratio are displayed in a comparative manner.

The user is capable of referring to the screen display information 302b, changing the prediction time, and re-calculating the thickness reduction ratio under various conditions (Yes in step S430). When the user inputs a new assumed value through the input screen displayed in the screen display information 309 in FIG. 22 and selects the calculation start button 314, the thickness reduction ratio calculator 420 calculates a thickness reduction ratio under the new condition (steps S410 to S420).

When the user inputs the new assumed value of the cumulative time through the input screen displayed in the screen display information 309 in FIG. 22 and the thickness reduction ratio calculator 420 calculates a residual thickness ratio that is based on the thickness reduction ratio under the new assumed value, the display information generator 430 generates screen display information including, as the residual thickness ratio 362a, the residual thickness ratio that is based on the thickness reduction ratio based on the cumulative time given by the user in the previous prediction and including, as the residual thickness ratio 362b, the residual thickness ratio that is based on the thickness reduction ratio based on the cumulative time given by the user in the current prediction. This enables the user to refer to the calculation results of the residual thickness ratios corresponding to the cumulative times given by the user while comparing them.

The user is capable of drafting a repair plan including the tube plugging plan, based on the calculation results of the residual thickness ratios that are based on the tube thickness reduction ratios (No in step S430, and step S440). For example, it is considered whether or not the tube plugging according to the progress degree of the tube thickness reduction is necessary and whether or not the retubing of a tube whose thickness reduction has progressed is necessary, and a plan including the time when to execute them is exemplified.

The following describes an example of an operation of predicting a cleanliness factor, a condenser internal pressure, and a contribution rate of an overall heat transfer coefficient in the case where the repair plan drafted with reference to the calculation results of the cleanliness factor, the condenser internal pressure, and the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient that are based on design values of the condenser 16 in the initial state is reflected.

The user is capable of calculating the predictive performance of the condenser 16 based on the repair plan drafted in step S440. When the user selects the overall heat transfer coefficient display button 310 through the input device serving as the user interface 43, the display information generator 430 generates screen display information indicating performance information such as the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient, based on the display template stored in the template storage 480 (step S450). FIG. 26C illustrates screen display information 302c showing a condenser state prediction result 330 that is based on the design-time condition.

At this stage, as the cleanliness factors 332a, 332b, the condenser internal pressures 334a, 334b, and the contribution rates of the overall heat transfer coefficient 336a, 336b, the screen display information 302c includes a cleanliness factor, a condenser internal pressures, a contribution rate of an overall heat transfer coefficient that are based on the design values of the condenser 16 in the initial state. That is, the same graphs are displayed in the groups A and B.

Next, the user inputs parameters necessary for the calculation of the performance of the condenser 16, including the number of plugged tubes and the presence/absence of retubing that are based on the drafted plugging plan (step S460). It is possible to input the number of plugged tubes to the input device serving as the user interface 43, by checking the item “plugged” in the basic specification data of the condenser 16 illustrated in FIG. 19, for instance. Further, it is possible to input the presence/absence of retubing by checking the item “retubing” in the basic specification data illustrated in FIG. 19, for instance. Examples of other parameters necessary for the performance calculation include heat balance HB and simulation data.

When the user selects the calculation start button 314 through the input device serving as the user interface 43, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates a cleanliness factor, a condenser internal pressure, an overall heat transfer coefficient, and a contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient (step S470). The display information generator 430 generates screen display information showing the performance information including the cleanliness factor, the condenser internal pressure, and the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient which are calculated by the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410.

FIG. 26D illustrates screen display information 302d including the cleanliness factor 332b, the condenser internal pressure 334b, and the contribution rate 336b of the overall heat transfer coefficient which are calculated based on the parameters including the number of the plugged tubes and the presence/absence of retubing that are based on the drafted plugging plan. As the cleanliness factor 332a, the condenser internal pressure 334a, and the contribution rate 336a of the overall heat transfer coefficient, the screen display information 302d includes a cleanliness factor, a condenser internal pressure, and a contribution rate of an overall heat transfer coefficient that are based on the design values as the initial values, and as the cleanliness factor 332b, the condenser internal pressure 334b, the contribution rate 336b of the overall heat transfer coefficient, it includes the cleanliness factor, the condenser internal pressure, and the contribution rate of overall heat transfer coefficient which are calculated based on the parameters including the number of plugged tubes and the presence/absence of the retubing that are based on the drafted plugging plan. By referring to the screen display information 302d, the user is capable of comparing the performance information of the condenser at the design time and the performance information of the condenser 16 that is based on the set parameters and finding its change.

The user is capable of re-calculating a cleanliness factor, a condenser internal pressure, an overall heat transfer coefficient, and a contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient under various conditions while varying the parameters, by referring to the screen display information 302d (Yes in step S480). When the user inputs a new parameter through the input device serving as the user interface 43 and selects the calculation start button 314, the overall heat transfer coefficient calculator 410 calculates a cleanliness factor, a condenser internal pressure, an overall heat transfer coefficient, and a contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient under the new condition (steps S460 to S470).

As described above, the user is capable of visually grasping how the cleanliness factor, the condenser internal pressure, and the contribution rate of the overall heat transfer coefficient change in accordance with a future tube repair plan or the like and grasping an influence of the repair plan or the like on the performance of the condenser.

According to the embodiment described hitherto, it is possible to provide a condenser state predicting device capable of recognizing operating condition-based state prediction information regarding the performance of a condenser and the thickness reduction of its tubes.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.

Claims

1. A condenser state predicting device comprising a display information generating circuitry configured to generate at least one of: first screen display information to display performance information indicating performance of a condenser, the performance of the condenser being predicted based on measurement information that is measured or input information that is input; andsecond screen display information to display residual thickness information indicating a residual ratio of thickness of a tube of the condenser, the residual ratio being predicted based on the input information.

2. The condenser state predicting device according to claim 1, wherein the performance information includes at least one of a cleanliness factor, an internal pressure, and a contribution rate of an overall heat transfer coefficient in the condenser.

3. The condenser state predicting device according to claim 1, wherein the first screen display information includes: first calculation data indicating the performance information calculated based on a first calculation condition; andsecond calculation data indicating the performance information calculated based on a second calculation condition different from the first calculation condition.

4. The condenser state predicting device according to claim 1, wherein the second screen display information includes: first calculation data indicating the residual thickness information predicted based on the input information; andsecond calculation data indicating the residual thickness information predicted based on information that is different from the input information and is input.

5. The condenser state predicting device according to claim 3, wherein the second calculation condition is composed of a latest calculation condition, and the first calculation condition is composed of a calculation condition set prior to a calculation result that is based on the second calculation condition.

6. The condenser state predicting device according to claim 1, further comprising: a measurement data obtaining unit configured to obtain at least either a cooling water inlet temperature of cooling water flowing into a tube of the condenser and a cooling water outlet temperature of the cooling water discharged from the tube of the condenser or a cumulative operating time of the condenser; andan arithmetic unit configured to execute at least one of: calculation of the performance information based on the cooling water inlet temperature and the cooling water outlet temperature; andcalculation of the residual thickness information based on the cumulative operating time of the condenser.